Some 300 Syrians who fled the crackdown in the north on Saturday arrived in Turkey, bringing to 4,600 the number of Syrian refugees in camps on the border in southern Turkey, an official Turkish source conveyed.

The refugees are housed in two tent cities in the province of Hatay. Some 60 people were hospitalized with various injuries, according to local sources.

Meanwhile, Syrian army deserters who fled to Turkey have spoken about the atrocities committed by soldiers in suppressing anti-government protests. They recounted instances of rape and wanton murder.

Tahal al-Lush told AFP about the “cleansing” in Rastan, a town of 50,000 residents in the Syrian province of Homs. “We were told that people were armed there. But when we arrived, we saw that they were ordinary civilians. We were ordered to shoot them,” said Lush.